UNC Basketball: Random Observations – Duke Loss at home

UNC Basketball lost on Senior Night to Duke 62-57. A disappointing final regular season game in a disappointing season. These are my random observations.

I’m not even mad, I’m just disappointed.

A team that had so much expectation and hope for this season just finished a regular season that no one saw coming.

I don’t know that there is a single reason this season has gone as it has. There are actually several.

The game was ugly. There were a number of at-the-rim shots that were missed. We often talk here about lack of shooting but they left a number of points at the rim.

In one curious moment of the first half, there were 4 bench players and Caleb Love in the game. 4 players that have been little used all season. The biggest game of your season against your biggest rival is not really a time to see if they can give you something.

I understand there were some foul issues but that move right there was why those players should have been developed throughout the season and not in the final game of the regular season.

We all respect Leaky Black. He came out aggressively on offense. When it wasn’t falling for him, Duke recognized it and left him wide open. Someone had to recognize that. Manage that final 4 minutes with a shooter. I understand the loss on the defensive side but they needed to spread the floor and make Duke pay.

Recognizing this, they subbed Puff Johnson for Pete Nance? Look, they weren’t sagging off of Pete Nance. You could build a shopping mall off of the space between a defender and Black.

Remember when former Head Coach Roy Williams would order a trap out of timeouts to get a run jumpstarted? I miss those.

With Coach Davis sitting on three timeouts and his best asset (Bacot) sitting at the table to come back in the game, the Tar Heels let 2 minutes run “waiting on a stoppage in play.” Meanwhile, Duke closed the small margin. I know Tar Heel fans love to argue timeouts but you simply must call one right there and get your guy in the game. RJ Davis was also completely out of gas and could have used that timeout. ESPN even mentioned it.

Speaking of timeouts, how could we be at the final game of the regular season and still not execute better sets? With the exception of the Nance play versus Ohio State (which Assistant Coach Jeff Lebo saw another team run), it’s been hard to watch.

The play Duke ran with Jeremy Roach to close out the game was the same one that they ran in Durham with the same result. Do with that what you will.

The rivalry needed this chapter for Duke after last year’s results.

Where this team goes the rest of this season will be very interesting. Do they fight or fold in the ACC Tournament?

What this team looks like next season might turn out to be even more interesting.

I’m not mad about the freefall from pre-season number one. I’m just disappointed.

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